Date and honey cake with coffee cream frosting

This is a rich cake infused with the sweetness of dates and honey. The cake itself is not very sweet, but the icing makes up for it. A yummy coffee cream frosting and some chocolate chips top this cake, making it a mouthful of wholesome goodness!

What you need:

The recipe yields two 9-inch cakes or about 20 cupcakes. I made a 9 inch cake and 12 cupcakes.

40 fresh dates, (or 50 dry dates) soaked in warm water over night

6 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup honey

1 Tbsp instant coffee powder

Soak the dates overnight in 2 cups of hot water. You can also cook them in the microwave with 2 cups of hot water. In a blender, puree the mixture to a fine paste. You may use a sieve to filter them down to a finer consistency. Set aside.

Combine the wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small cup, combine the coffee powder with a few teaspoons of hot water. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degree F.

Beat the eggs, oil and honey together for about 3 to 4 minutes on medium high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Using a spatula or a mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and date mixture into the egg. Add small amounts at a time, alternating between the flour and date puree. Once it’s all in, gently stir until combined. Pour in the coffee liquid and stir to combine.

Grease two 9-inch baking pans with butter, and dust them with flour. You can make cupcakes, if you prefer. I made a 9 inch cake and 12 date cupcakes. Bake them in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. My cupcakes were done in about 22 minutes, the 9 inch cake took longer, about 28-30 minutes.

Use a tooth pick and poke it in the middle of the cake all the way through to check if the cake is done. If it comes out clean, its ready to take out of the oven. Call me weird, but I use a clean knitting needle or a long kebab skewer to check the cake. It’s longer and way safer than a toothpick. Let the cakes cool completely.

As for cupcakes, always take them out of the pans, and let them cool on a cooling rack. Leaving them in the pan to cool makes them shrink. I just put the cake in the fridge to cool while I make the frosting, that way the cake can be baked and frosted faster. Follow the link for the yummy coffee cream frosting. Enjoy!